Scanlon the letter-writer had reportorial skills. He was a peace, not a war, correspondent, sending back dispatches from places in southern Chile that few outsiders had ever penetrated.... Hundreds of books have been written by former [Peace Corps] volunteers.... Tom Scanlon's is among the finest.

Shillelagh, Newsletter of the Notre Dame Club of Washington, DC, June 1997

...Scanlon composed letters to family members and friends about the struggles and triumphs of his sojourn, one that changed my life forever, he says....More than thirty years later, these letters are living testament to the power of human service.

The Scranton Times, January 19, 1997

[Scanlon] lived among Chile's poor for two years, struggling to cross cultural and linguistic barriers while serving as a youthful ambassador of his country. Scranton native Thomas J. Scanlon was among the first Peace Corps volunteers. His two-year stint as a community development worker in South America was by times exciting, challenging, discouraging and frustrating. It also changed him forever.

The Georgetowner, February 5, 1997

...Waiting for the Snow is full of learning experiences, of embracing a new culture, of sharing and exchanging ideas, of the mundane work of crop rotation, of living with people completely different from himself. And however serious the thoughts, the feelings are generous and vivid.

Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Hall of American History

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Chile